Are you scared of being caught by your ISP or any other third party user while having a personal search about your required private data . Google has made a good incremented by providing Secure Socket Layer over their search engine’s protocol.

Now search your required information by just changing the protocol from http:// to https://. Now you have to type https://google.com on your addressbar rather then the traditional http://google.com, and your required query and your search data will by encrypted through Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

Whats SSL ?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol that helps provide secure Internet communications for services like web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, and other data transfers. When you search over SSL, your search queries and search traffic are encrypted so they can’t be read by any intermediary party such as employers and internet service providers (ISPs).

Why SSL ?

SSL encrypts the communication channel between Google and a searcher’s computer. When search traffic is encrypted, it can’t be read by third parties trying to access the connection between a searcher’s computer and Google’s servers.

Caution :
Your Google experience using SSL search might be slighly slower than you’re used to because your computer needs to first establish a secure connection with Google. – From Google explanation of SSL Search

After a long wait a 10 year deal has been successfully executed by Yahoo! and Microsoft. The agreement will improve the Web search experience for users and advertisers, and deliver sustained innovation to the industry.

The agreement does not cover each company’s Web properties and products, email, instant messaging, display advertising, or any other aspect of the companies’ businesses.

The key terms of the agreement are as follows:

• The term of the agreement is 10 years;
• Microsoft will acquire an exclusive 10 year license to Yahoo!’s core search technologies, and Microsoft will have the ability to integrate Yahoo! search technologies into its existing Web search platforms;
• Microsoft’s Bing will be the exclusive algorithmic search and paid search platform for Yahoo! sites. Yahoo! will continue to use its technology and data in other areas of its business such as enhancing display advertising technology;
• Yahoo! will become the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers. Self-serve advertising for both companies will be fulfilled by Microsoft’s AdCenter platform, and prices for all search ads will continue to be set by AdCenter’s automated auction process;
• Each company will maintain its own separate display advertising business and sales force;
• Yahoo! will innovate and “own” the user experience on Yahoo! properties, including the user experience for search, even though it will be powered by Microsoft technology;
• Microsoft will compensate Yahoo! through a revenue sharing agreement on traffic generated on Yahoo!’s network of both owned and operated (O&O) and affiliate sites;
  • Microsoft will pay traffic acquisition costs (TAC) to Yahoo! at an initial rate of 88 percent of search revenue generated on Yahoo!’s O&O sites during the first five years of the agreement; and
  • Yahoo! will continue to syndicate its existing search affiliate partnerships.
• Microsoft will guarantee Yahoo!’s O&O revenue per search (RPS) in each country for the first 18 months following initial implementation in that country;
• At full implementation (expected to occur within 24 months following regulatory approval), Yahoo! estimates, based on current levels of revenue and current operating expenses, that this agreement will provide a benefit to annual GAAP operating income of approximately $500 million and capital expenditure savings of approximately $200 million. Yahoo! also estimates that this agreement will provide a benefit to annual operating cash flow of approximately $275 million; and

The agreement protects consumer privacy by limiting the data shared between the companies to the minimum necessary to operate and improve the combined search platform, and restricts the use of search data shared between the companies. The agreement maintains the industry-leading privacy practices that each company follows today.

Yahoo Press release

Microsoft has released the Bing Toolbox, a new portal for all you Bing webmasters, publishers, developers, and advertisers.

With the Bing Toolbox Microsoft is looking to provide website owners with the resources necessary to adapt their websites and online applications to Bing.

Bing Toolbox enables website owners to easily submit their URLs to be indexed by the search engine. At the same time, the portal enables the submission of sitemap files and access to the Bing webmaster tools. For developers looking to use Bing as a platform, the Toolbox allows them to get an AppID, the first step on leveraging the Bing application programming interface (API).

This white paper is an overview of the key features in Bing of interest to webmasters.

This white paper discusses the key new features of the Bing search engine results page (SERP) presentation that are relevant to webmasters and web publishers. It also discusses search engine optimization (SEO) considerations needed for Bing.

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